An event I witnessed decades ago when I was a student in London still brings back flashes of its memory every now and then. There was this young boy whose age was somewhere between 8 - 10 who had just finished his sandwich lunch in a crowded park and nonchalantly threw away his sandwich box onto the pavement floor instead of the dustbin displayed prominently beside him.
At the opposite was a gentlman who saw the boy's act. Feeling disgusted, the gentleman walked over and told the boy loudly that he should be ashamed of himself of such an uncivil act. He then asked him to pick up the sandwich box and to throw it inside the dustbin bag. The boy refused and stood his ground. Of course he would; when so many pairs of eyes were silently but furiously persecuting him. Boy and gentleman stood their grounds, with the boy avoiding eye contact but with a defiant look and gentleman staring hard at the boy. Looks like a lose-lose situation.
An old frail lady in the crowd came forward to speak to the boy. She said, 'Pick up the rubbish young man. You know it's the right thing to do. You should be ashamed if you want to just walk away. People will not laugh at you, they will learn from you." Common sense prevailed. The young man, still trying to put on a dignified face, picked up his lunch box and threw it inside the dustbin. People around were moved by his gesture and started to clap at his 'heroic act'.
The boy will carry this experience with him I am sure and so would the people who witnessed the incident on that day.
At the opposite was a gentlman who saw the boy's act. Feeling disgusted, the gentleman walked over and told the boy loudly that he should be ashamed of himself of such an uncivil act. He then asked him to pick up the sandwich box and to throw it inside the dustbin bag. The boy refused and stood his ground. Of course he would; when so many pairs of eyes were silently but furiously persecuting him. Boy and gentleman stood their grounds, with the boy avoiding eye contact but with a defiant look and gentleman staring hard at the boy. Looks like a lose-lose situation.
An old frail lady in the crowd came forward to speak to the boy. She said, 'Pick up the rubbish young man. You know it's the right thing to do. You should be ashamed if you want to just walk away. People will not laugh at you, they will learn from you." Common sense prevailed. The young man, still trying to put on a dignified face, picked up his lunch box and threw it inside the dustbin. People around were moved by his gesture and started to clap at his 'heroic act'.
The boy will carry this experience with him I am sure and so would the people who witnessed the incident on that day.
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